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Prince Charles criticised over metal detector beach charging plan
- Published 11/21/2011
Plans by Prince Charles to charge people for using metal detectors on beaches owned by his Duchy of Cornwall have been criticised by enthusiasts as cynical profiteering.
Metal detectorists will be expected to pay £60 for a permit to sweep on the foreshore of any duchy beach, despite being allowed to pursue their hobby for free on foreshores owned by the Crown Estate elsewhere in the UK.
The Duchy of Cornwall owns most foreshores – the area of beach between low and high tide water marks – in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and has previously not permitted metal detecting.
The estate said the £60 would pay for an annual permit, but families on a two-week break could purchase a special discounted £20 permit for their stay.
Mick Turrell, who runs a metal detector business, said it was either a "cynical money-making exercise", or the prince, who studied archaeology at Cambridge and is patron of the Council of British Archeology, "must really hate metal detectorists".
Seeking Lost Treasure After 94 Years
- Published 11/6/2011
It’s been nearly 100 years since a jewel case containing family and imperial jewelry crashed through the ice to the bottom of Lake Baikal. The last hands it touched before disappearing into the watery depths were those of a Russian woman who was fleeing the country to save her life.
The year was 1917. The Bolsheviks had seized power, and White Russians were forced to move out of their homes or face execution.
Vadim and Zinaida Smit had no hope of staying in the country. Vadim was railway minister for the east-west Siberian route and a personal friend of Tsar Nicholas II, and Zinaida was the godchild of the queen mother.
With little time to think, they packed up whatever they could and fled St. Petersburg to China, from which they would catch a boat to Europe. They traveled by any means and walked when no transportation was available. They trudged through the Siberian snow and ice, losing their belongings in their haste to get to safety.
Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/seeking-lost-treasure-after-94-years/447173.html#no#ixzz1cxtk0nbj
The Moscow Times
Silver ring found in Sleaford declared treasure
- Published 11/3/2011
The ring, which bears the initials IS, is thought to be hundreds of years old
A ring found in a farmer's field in Lincolnshire by a boy using a metal detector has been declared as treasure.
Philip Ingram-Jannetta, 15, of Leasingham, Sleaford, was with a friend when he came across the silver-gilt finger-ring, believed to date from the late 16th or early 17th Century.
The ring is thought to have belonged to a member of the Shaw family, who were wealthy landowners in the county.
The Collection Museum in Lincoln has expressed an interest in buying it.
Lincoln district coroner Stuart Fisher declared the ring as treasure. It is currently being valued.
At an inquest hearing, Philip, who attends St George's College, said he found the ring three inches below the surface in the middle of the Sleaford field.
Metal detector fan Darren Webster finds Viking hoard
- Published 10/28/2011
A metal detector enthusiast has found a major hoard of Viking silver in a field on the Cumbria-Lancashire border.
Darren Webster, from Carnforth, uncovered more than 200 silver pieces including ornate bracelets, coins and ingots in a lead pot.
He said he had searched the same undisclosed location several times before and found nothing.
The silver is now with experts at the British Museum, who described the find as "of national significance".
They will reveal their findings at the end of the year.
Treasure hunters discover two of Sir Francis Drake’s ships
- Published 10/27/2011
By Paul Thompson
A team of international treasure hunters is close to finding the final resting place of British Naval hero Sir Francis Drake.
They have found two of his ships which were scuttled off the coast of Panama over 400 years ago following the adventurer's death.
The team believes Drake's lead-lined coffin could be near to the location of the two ships 'Elizabeth' and Delight' and have begun a search for the historical artifact.
The ships were scuttled by Drake's crews in 1596 after the English captain was buried at sea following his death at the age of 55 from dysentery.
Drake is considered one of Britain's greatest naval heroes having led the English fleet in victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 as they prepared for an invasion of Britain.
He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and the scourge of the Spanish in their ambitions to conquer the world.
The wrecks of the ships were found in an underwater expedition led by Pat Croce, a self-confessed pirate enthusiast and former president of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team.
'Gold Rush: Alaska' returns on Friday
- Published 10/25/2011
Todd Hoffman (pictured) and the group of miners of Sandy, Oregon, will still be searching for gold during the second season of their wildly popular reality series Gold Rush: Alaska, but the show has already brought that to their home network Discovery. The first season alone drew an average of 3 million viewers and clearly struck a nerve with audiences.
Bredon Hill Roman coins unveiled at Worcester museum
- Published 10/22/2011
A hoard of Roman coins unearthed in Worcestershire go on display
A hoard of Roman artefact's unearthed in the Worcestershire countryside is to go on show at a museum in the county.
Local metal detector enthusiasts Jethro Carpenter, 43, and Mark Gilmore, 47, discovered more than 3,800 coins in a clay pot at Bredon Hill, near Evesham.
The Roman haul - the county's largest ever - is mainly bronze coins dating back to the 3rd Century.
Featuring 16 different emperors, many will be shown at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum from Saturday
Lost gravesite of Civil War hero found
- Published 10/21/2011
While a number of people have searched for years for the grave of Raynham Civil War soldier Frederick C. Anderson, a Pawtucket, R.I., man found it in just six months.
Anderson was a farmer who received the Medal of Honor after heroically capturing an enemy battle flag and its bearer in 1864. For years, history buffs were unable to locate his grave, which was believed to be in Somerville.
But last week it was uncovered in Dighton, thanks to Charles Mogayzel, an 80-year-old Korean War veteran.
Metal detectorist finds Viking brooch
- Published 02/12/2010
Sidney Boyce was using his metal detector near Longbridge Deverill when he found the bronze trefoil brooch, which he then took to the museum to be identified.
The find was reported to Katie Hinds, the finds liaison officer for Wiltshire, based at Salisbury Museum, who immediately recognised its significance. 
A Viking trefoil brooch found near Longbridge Deverill
Promise of Gold Lures Prospectors
- Published 01/22/2010
Visit TreasureDigger.net
Gold fever has hit the West Coast with a big rise in the number of mineral exploration applications.
Crown Minerals figures show there were 89 applications for mineral prospecting, mining and exploration permits in the region in 2009, compared with 33 the previous year.
Thirty-seven applications were granted, including 24 mineral mining permits, compared with 19 in 2008. Fifty-four permits were issued nationally last year.
For Duncan Davidson, it is important not to get carried away as he contemplates goldmining on land near Hokitika.
"I try not to think about it. I think it's a disease. You get a little bit of gold and there's an attraction there and you've got to be very careful," he said
Learn to find treasure on the beach